


The Bearer of Bad News

by twdsunshine



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 06:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14514882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twdsunshine/pseuds/twdsunshine
Summary: When Rick and the group arrive at the Kingdom for the first time, they find themselves reunited with the reader, who has been missing since she left Alexandria with Morgan in search of Carol.  But she has missed so much in the time that she’s been gone, and it is up to Daryl to be the bearer of bad news.





	The Bearer of Bad News

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request from @justcausewereoutlaws on Tumblr. It didn’t end up as fluffy as I intended… In fact, it’s pretty angsty, but there are some fluffy feelings so I hope it does the request justice. 
> 
> ‘Can you do a darylxreader where the reader is with Carol and morgan when they go to the kingdom and when daryl escapes and finds the group, he worries about the reader since no one knows where she is and when he finds her at the kingdom, it’s all fluffy. Also the reader was best friends with glenn since the start and she breaks down when she finds out he’s dead? Thank you babe!’

You inhaled deeply, feeling the fresh air relax you as the warm sun danced over your bare shoulders.  It was another beautiful day, and you couldn’t help but feel strangely content as you perched on top of one of the picnic benches that lined the small courtyard, stretching out your legs and running your hand over your tummy, full of breakfast cobbler, a bizarre but delicious creation that you eagerly consumed every morning.  You knew the time would come when you’d need to return home, back to Alexandria, but for the moment you were happy at the Kingdom.  It was like you’d wandered into a fairy story that was vastly preferable to the real world, and you wanted to prolong your time there, enjoying your little break in this wonderland where you were ruled over by an honest to goodness King that spoke as though he had descended from old English royalty and had a pet tiger that curled up beside his throne.

When you’d left with Morgan and Rick to track down the missing Carol, you’d never imagined that you’d end up in a place like this, but she had been badly hurt, and you’d injured your knee in the fight, so you’d been unable to refuse the offer of medical help from the men on horseback that had come across you in your broken state. With only Morgan able to move easily unaided, you wouldn’t have survived long without them, you thought now.  But it had been a risk, a big risk.  You were just lucky that it had paid off.  Unsurprisingly, Carol had left as soon as she was well enough, setting up home in a small house a short distance from the Kingdom’s fences, but Morgan had stayed, and you’d been instructed to give yourself a little longer before attempting the long journey back home.

Of course, you would return home when you could, no matter what peace you’d found in this new community. There were too many people that you needed to get back to.  Mostly Glenn, your best friend, who had kept you going through so much since the world ended.  You’d known him before, when he’d just been the local pizza guy, delivering takeout to your college dorm on the back of his little moped, but he’d saved your life shortly after the dead had started walking and you’d stuck together ever since.  You weren’t too worried about him – he had Maggie after all – but you still wouldn’t choose to be away from him longer than you needed to.

And then there was Daryl.  Daryl was your…  You didn’t even really know how to describe him.  Boyfriend sounded too formal, like some sort of commitment had been made which it really hadn’t.  But he was more than a friend.  You’d grown close to the archer, despite having given each other a wide berth when he’d first joined the group, and over the past few months in Alexandria that closeness had begun to manifest into something that you couldn’t really explain. Your relationship with Daryl was a lot of stolen kisses around the back of the church and holding each other through the night, curled up on the front porch, hidden from curious eyes by the darkness.  You trusted him and you felt safe with him, but you weren’t sure if he would ever put a label on what you were to each other.  He wasn’t one to let himself be tied down, and he definitely wasn’t ever going to sit down with you and talk about his feelings.  Still, you missed him so much it was like a physical ache in your chest.  The last time you’d seen him he’d been furious, grieving for the doctor that had been killed right in front of him by Dwight, the asshole he’d taken pity on once upon a time.  It had led to a vicious argument as you tried to convince him that he wasn’t to blame, and you hated that you hadn’t made things right before you’d left.  There hadn’t been time.

‘Y/N.’  You turned to give King Ezekiel a lazy smile as he approached, lifting your hand to shield your face from the sun so you could see his kind eyes as he nodded to you in greeting.  ‘How do you find yourself on this fine day?’

‘I’m good.’  You held back a giggle as his overexaggerated way of speaking, appreciating the act that he put on for his subjects, though you doubted he was even from England.  ‘How are you, your majesty?’

‘Very well, thank you.  It is so easy to find happiness in the world on a morning as beautiful as this, is it not?’

‘It’s definitely making me feel better,’ you agreed, glancing over at him as he rested a large hand over your own.

‘I know you miss your home, but I am so very happy that we have been able to aid in your recovery, Y/N.’

‘And I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.’  You sighed, surveying the Kingdom as the residents went about their morning routines. ‘I love it here, I really do. What you’ve built is amazing.  There are just some people that I need to get back to.’

‘Of course.’

Your conversation was cut short by the arrival of Richard, one of the Ezekiel’s men, who advised that he had a group of visitors at the gate requesting an audience with the King.  Despite the curiosity this piqued in you, you stayed put whilst the dreadlocked ruler excused himself and left to carry out his duties, not wanting to overstep your mark as a guest.  You’d been at the Kingdom for a while now, and you’d never seen anyone come and go that wasn’t a resident of the community, so you found yourself scanning the path that tracked from the gate to the royal residence, watching for the newcomers, and letting out a shocked gasp when you recognised the figures that wandered into view, led by Benjamin, one of the King’s youngest recruits.

Your people.  Alexandrians.  First Rick and Michonne, then Rosita, Sasha, Carl, and Tara.  And finally, bringing up the rear…

_Daryl._

You leapt from the bench, forgetting your injury for a moment and letting out a shouted curse as you landed hard on your bad leg, grabbing the group’s attention.  As they turned towards you as one, you heard Sasha call your name, but all you could see was the archer, his mouth quirking up in a smile as he watched you limping towards him, your arms outstretched so you could wrap them around his neck and pull him close, breathing in his scent and letting it wash over you.  It had been too long.  You pressed a soft kiss to his collarbone and felt him shiver as his grip on you tightened, and then your feet left the ground as he lifted you into the air, whispering into your ear.

‘Shit girl, this where ya been this whole time?’

‘I’m sorry.  I should’ve told you I was leaving.  There wasn’t time.’

‘I know.  Rick filled me in.’

‘I missed you.’

‘Ya had me worried.’

'I’m sorry.’

As he placed you back on your feet, you glanced self-consciously at the rest of your friends, relieved that they were too busy taking in their surroundings to have paid too much attention to your exchange.  You weren’t open about how close you’d become in public, barely speaking in the daylight hours, and you imagined they were surprised by the emotion behind your reunion, though they were all too polite to say anything.  When you were forced to live in such close quarters as you had been with these people, with each other every second of every day, you learnt when to comment and when not to.  It was something you had to do to get by.

‘What are you guys doing here?’ you asked, moving out of Daryl’s arms to greet the rest of the group, accepting a hug from Sasha and a kiss from Michonne before turning to Rick for answers.

‘It’s a long story.’ The sheriff ran a hand through his curls, his face frozen in a frown.  He always looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, but in that moment it seemed to be weighing heavier than normal, and there was something behind his eyes that caused a knot to form in your stomach.  The whole group seemed quiet, and they were all avoiding meeting your gaze now, only increasing your unease.

‘What-‘

Richard chose that moment to reappear, gesturing for Rick and the others to follow him to the throne room.  ‘The King will see you now.’

You moved to fall into step beside Daryl, determined to be a part of the conversation that was about to take place and find out what was going on, but your leap from the table had jarred your leg badly, and you gasped as a jolt of pain shot through you, almost falling as your knee buckled under your weight.

‘Y/N!’  Daryl’s arm was around you, holding you upright, but Benjamin stepped in front of you, offering his shoulder for you to lean on.

‘I’ll take her to the doctor.  You need to get that knee looked at,’ he insisted when you started to argue.

‘Nah,’ the archer spoke up, not wanting to leave your side.  ‘I ain’t-‘

‘I’ll take you to her after.’  The boy’s voice was sincere.  ‘I promise. She’ll be perfectly safe.’

‘It’s okay.’  You nodded to Daryl to indicate your acceptance, and let Benjamin lead you away, turning back only once to find the archer still watching you, his piercing eyes filled with an intensity that you didn’t understand.

 

* * *

 

When the doctor had bandaged up your knee with a warning to be more careful if you ever wanted to make a full recovery, you made your way slowly back outside, settling yourself on the steps of the old band stand, appreciating the shade its roof gave you now that the day was growing hotter.  You were still a little overwhelmed at the coincidence of your people, your family, finding themselves at the Kingdom, and seeing Daryl again had knocked you for six.  Though you’d missed him, you hadn’t realised how much you’d grown to depend on him until you were in his arms, and you’d almost found yourself whispering those three little words that you knew would chase him away forever.  Still, there had been an underlying tension within the group that you couldn’t put your finger on, a wariness, an urgency, and it had left you unable to settle, though you couldn’t make it any further unaided.  You longed to know what was being said in the audience with Ezekiel and only hoped that Benjamin would keep his word and bring the archer to you when it was over.

He did.

The sight of Daryl loping towards you, his hair falling forward over his face as his broad shoulders swayed with the swing of his arms, brought a smile to your lips despite your concerns, and when he dropped down beside you, you shuffled closer to lean into his chest, nestling into the crook of his neck.

‘Y’alright?’ he asked in his gruff Southern drawl and you nodded as you pulled back so you could study his face intently.

‘I’m okay.  Just aggravated an old injury.  Doc’s fixed me up good.’  You pulled up the leg of your jeans to show him the bandage and he grunted as he ran his hand over the joint.  

‘How’d it happen?’

‘Fight.  Saviors.  Saving Carol.’

‘Fuckin’ Saviors are e’rywhere.’

‘Well, we won, so there’s a few less of them now.’

He sighed, and you reached for his hand, linking your fingers through his.  ‘What’s up, Daryl?’

‘I been worried ‘bout ya,’ he rasped, pressing a rough kiss to your forehead.  ‘I got back ‘n’ no one could tell me where ya were.  I thought…  I dunno what I thought, but I was worried.’

‘I know.  I really am sorry.  I didn’t mean to worry anyone.  We had to find Carol, and I didn’t want to leave Morgan alone.  He seemed kinda… shaky, I guess.  I just wanted to keep an eye on him.  And then when we found her she was hurt pretty bad, and then I got hurt, and these guys turned up on horses and told us they had a doctor and a community and… Well, here we are.’  You knew you were rambling, but the archer was staring at you with that same intensity that you’d seen when Benjamin had been leading you away before, and you were afraid to ask what you’d missed since you’d left the Safe Zone.  ‘So, what did you make of Ezekiel?  Kinda crazy, huh?  I know he seems like an oddball, but he’s been so good to us, and Shiva… I mean, wow. A real freakin’ tiger!  I felt like I was in a fairytale or something when I first got here, but it’s strange how you can get used to anything, isn’t it?’

‘Not e’rythin’.’

He knew what you were doing, you both knew it, but his grim expression told you that he needed you to listen to whatever it was that he was psyching himself up to say.  Taking a deep breath, you broached the subject you’d been so afraid of, letting the forced smile fall from your lips.  ‘Daryl, what’s happened?  I can see it on your face that something bad’s gone down, and the others… They looked haunted.  What did I miss?  Is everyone okay?’

He exhaled shakily, pulling his hand from yours so he could chew on his thumbnail, bowing his head so that he could hide behind his dark waves.  ‘There was an ambush.  The Saviors. There’s a lot of ‘em ‘n’ they knew what we’d done.’

‘Shit.’

‘Yeah.  Their leader was there.  Negan.’

‘We didn’t kill him? I thought-‘

‘Nah, he’s alive.’

‘What happened?  Did he… Did he hurt someone?’

‘Abraham.’

‘No!’

‘’N’ Glenn.’

You opened your mouth to protest but no sound came out.  It was like the world had dropped away and you were floating, unable to comprehend the words that were still spilling from the archer’s lips, your body numb, your breath caught in your throat.  No, not Glenn.  No.  

‘He killed ‘em, both of ‘em, to prove a point.  To show us that we belong to him now.’

Glenn.  Gone.  Glenn was gone.  Dead.  No.  You couldn’t…  No.  It couldn’t be true.  You’d seen him just before you left.  He’d hugged you goodbye and told you to be careful and that he’d see you when you got back.  But he wouldn’t.  You’d never see him again.  Your best friend.  How were you supposed to do this without him?  Who was going to make you laugh when things got bad or fight by your side when it all went to hell?  He’d been there with you since the beginning and now…  You felt so incredibly alone.

‘Y/N, m’sorry.’

‘What?’  You blinked dazedly at Daryl, having lost yourself in your grief, barely noticing that he was still speaking.  ‘How?’

‘What?’

‘How did he do it?  Negan… How did he kill him?  Was it quick?’

The archer’s eyes flickered close and you knew from the look of pain on his face that he was seeing it again, reliving the moment when Glenn’s life had been ripped away.  ‘He’s got this baseball bat.  Calls it Lucille.  S’got barbed wire wrapped round it, ‘n’ he…’

He didn’t need to say anymore.  You could imagine the rest, fill in the gaps in your head.  God, it was horrific.  And Maggie!  Poor Maggie was alone and pregnant.  You wondered if she’d been there but you didn’t ask, couldn’t form the words.

‘It was my fault.’  Daryl’s whispered confession caught your attention and as your eyes locked with his you could see tears forming, spilling over and trailing down his cheeks, catching in the coarse hairs of his scruff.  ‘I’m sorry.’

‘How?  What did you do?’

‘I hit him.  Negan.  After he’d… After Abe.  ‘N’ he killed Glenn as punishment.  If I hadn’t… Maybe he’d still be alive.’

‘No, Daryl.  No.’  You were shaking your head, reaching for him so you could pull his face down to your shoulder and wrap your arms around him as he cried.  ‘No, this wasn’t your fault.  What sort of monster…  This was Negan.  It was all Negan.’

‘But I-‘

‘No!’  You couldn’t listen to him anymore, couldn’t hold it together, and you crumbled, loud sobs forcing themselves up your throat and jarring your body as you hunched over, your breath coming in ragged gasps. Daryl shifted so that he could pull you onto his lap, cradling you against his chest as you fell to pieces, shaking with grief as the realisation that this was real, this was really happening, overwhelmed you.  Your chest ached with loss, everything hurt, and you felt a piece of your heart shut down, a piece that had belonged only to Glenn.  He’d been your last tie to the world before and now everything you knew was gone.

As your cries finally subsided into wheezing hiccups, Daryl’s grip on you tightened before his hand slipped up to cup your chin, tipping your head up so he could take in your puffy, tear-stained face.  

‘I have no one,’ you whimpered, as another wave of misery threatened to drag you under, fighting to keep it together.  You’d lost so many people but you would never get used to the pain, to the rollercoaster of emotions.  ‘He was all I had.’

‘Ya got me.’

‘I don’t, Daryl.'  The edges of your sadness were becoming tinged with red as a fiery rage crept over you: anger at yourself, at Negan, at the world, at him.  Yes, the anger was better than the desolation.  It didn’t hurt as much.  You could vent this, use it, scream it out until there was nothing left.  'I don’t even know what I am to you!  We aren’t together!  We’re barely even friends!  You only wanna talk to me when no one’s around, and you kiss me like…’

‘Like what?’

‘Like you hate me!  Like it’s a battle!  You hold me so tight that I have bruises the next morning!  It’s like… like you’re mad at me for loving you!’  Your vulnerable state had left you without a filter between your brain and your mouth and the words just kept coming.  You were spiralling out of control and you only had him, the bearer of the bad news, to take it out on.  ‘You use me and then as soon as the sun comes up, you don’t wanna know. I’m just someone to pass the time with, to chase the nightmares away.’

You saw him flinch and knew it was cruel to throw his confession about the bad dreams that plagued him in his face, but you felt mean in that moment, like you wanted to hurt and destroy and lash out.  ‘So, no, I don’t have you, Daryl!  I have no one and I don’t even know why you’re still sitting here, cos I want you to go!’

You expected him to argue but he was sitting in stunned silence, his expression a mix of confusion and hurt.  You’d gone from comforting him to raging at him, your mood switching suddenly and dramatically, and you weren’t surprised that he was unable to keep up.  You didn’t understand it yourself.

‘Please.  Just go.  I can’t… I can’t do this with you here.  You’re not helping me right now.’

‘I can’t go.’

‘Why?’ you growled through gritted teeth, trying to drag yourself out of his lap, but his strong arms held you in place.  ‘I don’t need you here.’

‘Cos Negan’s lookin’ for me ‘n’ if he finds me at Alexandria he’s gon’ kill someone else.’

You frowned at him, not understanding what he was talking about.  ‘Why the hell would Negan be looking for you?’

‘I was his prisoner, Y/N. He tortured me for days but I got out, ‘n’ I’m bettin’ he ain’t gonna be happy about it.’

‘Daryl-‘

‘Ya know what kept me going the whole time he had me locked up in that cell eatin’ dog food like a damn animal?  You. Thinkin’ ‘bout gettin’ back t’ ya. So don’t tell me that ya don’t got me, cos ya got all o’ me, e’rythin’.  I’m sorry if I kiss ya too hard or hold ya too tight.  It’s cos I jus’… I need ya.  ‘N’ I ain’t never been sure what this whole thing means to ya so I stay away when it ain’t just us cos I don’t trust myself t’ be near ya ‘n’ not reach out ‘n’ touch ya, alright?  So, yeah, ya do have me, 'n’ I ain’t leavin’, cos whether ya like it or not, I’m all ya got here. I’m the only one who knows ya ‘n’ I ain’t gonna let ya go through this alone.’

It was the most you’d ever heard him speak, and when he finished he was red-faced and panting, but it was everything you needed to hear and, though your grief still constricted your heart and would do for a long time, you felt it flutter slightly at the archer’s snarled declaration.

‘I love you.’  The words escaped your lips before you could stop them, but when the corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile, you knew that it was okay.  ‘I’m sorry. I love you.  I do.  I shouldn’t have… I didn’t mean… I’m just…’

You couldn’t find the words, but he knew what you were trying to say, and then it didn’t matter that you couldn’t speak, because his mouth was on yours, hard and hungry, pulling your mind from the painful depths that it was drowning in and focusing it solely on him: his taste, his scent, the feel of him under your fingers.

‘Y’ain’t alone,’ he rasped as he broke away from you, leaning his forehead against yours so he could hold your gaze, his eyes burning into yours.  ‘Y’all always have me.  I’m here cos o’ you so I’m here for ya, ‘n’ I’m gonna take care of ya for Glenn, alright?’

All you could do was nod dumbly before pulling him back in for another kiss.  You’d lost and gained so much in such a short space of time and you were torn completely in two: half broken and grieving, suffocated by the pain of losing your best friend, and half elated and loved and teetering on the edge of bliss.  So, for now, you just focused on the lips on yours, on kissing them back with the same fervour with which they were devouring you, on showing the archer exactly what you needed from him, wanted from him, and the rest…  The rest would come with time.


End file.
